Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Shashi Tharoor Draws Backlash Over ‘Drama’ Remark on Nepal Floods
A large flash flood hit northern Nepal near the Tibet border.
The flood damaged roads, bridges, riverside areas and hydropower projects.
Many people died, and thousands were reported missing.
Some of the missing people were Indian tourists.
Shashi Tharoor wrote about the disaster after arriving in Kathmandu.
He called the event “drama that had taken place in the hills.”
Many people online said that word sounded insensitive for a deadly disaster.
Tharoor also expressed sympathy for victims and supported India sending relief.
Reports differed on the confirmed death toll, putting it at 160 or more than 170.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described Nepal’s flash floods as “drama that had taken place in the hills.”
Social media users called the wording insensitive and a poor choice for someone known for his English vocabulary.
The floods struck northern Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border and caused extensive destruction.
Reports cited a death toll ranging from 160 to over 170, with around 2,000 or more people missing.
Tharoor supported India’s relief assistance and expressed concern for missing Indian tourists, including Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims.
- Who
- Shashi Tharoor, Nepalese authorities, victims and missing residents and tourists, including Indians.
- What
- A flash flood in Nepal caused deaths, widespread damage and criticism of Tharoor’s use of the word “drama.”
- When
- The floods struck on Wednesday; Tharoor arrived in Kathmandu the same day and posted about them on Thursday. One report dated his post August 27, 2026.
- Where
- Northern Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border, along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
- Why
- The floods may have been caused by global warming and/or an earthquake in Tibet that triggered a glacier collapse, according to possibilities cited by Tharoor; his wording prompted backlash because critics considered it insensitive.
Critics of the wording
Tharoor’s broader message
Use of “drama”
Critics of the wording
Social media users said describing a deadly flood as “drama” was insensitive and a poor choice of words, particularly from someone known for his command of English.
Tharoor’s broader message
Tharoor’s post also described catastrophic damage, loss of life and missing people, and expressed sympathy for victims and their families.
Focus of the post
Critics of the wording
Critics focused on the phrase “blissfully unaware of the drama” and argued that the wording overshadowed the seriousness of the disaster.
Tharoor’s broader message
Tharoor provided details about the floods, supported India’s relief assistance and urged prayers and rescue efforts for those missing.
- Affected area
- Rasuwa district in northern Nepal near the Tibet border
- Reported deaths
- One report said 160 had been confirmed; another put the death toll above 170
- Missing people
- Around 2,000 or more
- Infrastructure damage
- At least 19 motorable bridges and about 40 kilometers of the Betrawati–Rasuwagadhi highway were destroyed or washed away
- Hydropower damage
- Eight operational hydropower projects were heavily damaged
- Indian tourists
- Nearly 300 Indian tourists were reported missing by Nepal’s foreign minister; Tharoor also mentioned about 100 Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims
- Relief response
- Tharoor supported the Indian government’s immediate pledge of relief assistance
